Of delight and boundaries
by sycamoretree
Summary: Annoyingly happy cop meets stern corporal at Baskerville and something changes. Contains spoilers for the Baskerville episode! Tyler; the cute man who told John of the helicopter, and Will; the corporal who guided John and Sherlock through the lab.


**So, this idea appeared in my head after the Baskerville episode. The corporal in the facility was so handsome and then I detected some fans (myself included) thought it perfect to ship him with the other cute extra who played a young cop in the Scandal. The corporal has by some been named Will Lyons and the cop Tyler, so I'm using those names here. This is a hopefully cute oneshot of their first meeting which takes place _after_ the Baskerville episode. I hope you'll enjoy it and review.  
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><p><strong>Of delight and boundaries<strong>

"Wow. They've been screaming for quite a while now."

William Lyons reluctantly looked away from the fighting men. Major Barrymore had been ordered to let in a special police squad so they could investigate the accident on the mine field last night, though he probably hadn't expected to find himself in a anger contest against the good contestant; DI Dimmock. Will thought both of them behaved like children and were outrageous and undignified in front of the men but hey, what could he say about it; a simple, although very accomplished corporal? Will turned his head to the insufferably cheery police man who had placed himself beside him.

"So?" Will drawled and changed the grip on the carbine.

Like an attention-starved puppy, the red-haired, brown-eyed cop eagerly launched himself into a rant about horrible bosses and why he was there (first case involving sensitive information and a lab protected by the government).

"…so it's very exciting to be out here, although the tragic passing of the doctor isn't fun at all. Did you know him?"

"No. We army lads keep to ourselves and just watches the white coats walk by. We're only here to secure the area from intruders," Will hissed to make it clear that the cop really should go and join his colleagues instead of bothering him.

"Oh, come on! Is it that necessary to keep up appearances? Aren't you allowed to relax at least when one of the doctors blew himself up?" the man laughed and that was what affected Will the most. The chuckle was so carefree, honest and fluttered like pearls spilling out on a floor. He snapped.

"Now listen here Mr…"

"Call me Tyler," the man said as if ignorant of the dangerous tone Will had started to use.

"Mr. Tyler. This is a high-security issue. One of the doctors is dead and we still don't know if the lab is threatened. Forgive me for not _relaxing_, since that would be so much better than being disciplined!" That shut Tyler up.

Will pursed his lips and returned to watching his commander who was busy throwing his cap on the ground. Silence was restored again. But suddenly the air seemed thinner and colder and Will involuntarily shivered as a wind caressed his bare forearms. He could feel Tyler's still presence and he didn't like it.

He was a professional soldier with a duty to his country. It wasn't as if it was his job to preserve good relations between the army and the police. Not even Major Barrymore did that so why should Will let down his guard this uncertain day and converse with a complete stranger?

But as the seconds ticked by, Will grew concerned. Why didn't Tyler say anything back, jump down his throat, or walk away? Within, Will berated himself for his maybe too rash words. The other man seemed to be a few years younger than he. Was probably new and inexperienced with the routines. Shit.

"Look, I didn't mean to…What are you doing?"

He had caught Tyler anxiously tugging at his sleeves and staring down into the ground so the fringe covered his eyes and a good expanse of his face. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. Please don't tell my boss; he's already received complaints about me for interacting too much with people. I often get on people's nerves," Tyler let out with a quiet voice and shot a glance at DI Dimmock.

Suddenly Will wished the cheeriness would return to the cop; it suited him better than the brooding equal to that of a military man. "Well, I can't say you're innocent this time," Will began with a calm tone before he added, "But I suppose the blame is on me. I'm used of being hostile to outsiders in this facility. I was rude."

The hair swished back as the head came up and Will found himself studying the red tinges on Tyler's cheeks. _He_ didn't freeze in the wind, bloody copper with yellow wind jacket. But Will was a soldier. He could endure a, however chilling, breeze.

"If it's alright to ask, what's your name?"

Will fastened his steel eyes on Tyler, considering whether it would be okay or not to reveal his name. He settled for a middle way. "I'm Will, a corporal."

The corners of the red-haired man's mouth twitched upwards. "Nice to meet you, Will."

Will hadn't really expected the wave of exhilaration that surged through him when Tyler said his name with a soft, gentle voice. But then Will straightened his back and imperiously tilted his chin up to assume the position he had been trained to know. Tyler kept quiet but after a while he dared take some steps to the side and ended up in front of Will, deliberately blocking his vision.

As a professional soldier, Will was capable of determining whether a person was trying to provoke him into combat by taunting him. He had lived through several riots some years ago when he posed as a brick in a wall of shields against violent protesters. But Tyler didn't act like he wanted to spite him.

"Corporal?" The word rolled off the man's tongue as if he was testing a brand new spice of unknown flavor. Will shuddered.

"Yes," he sighed tiredly and looked him in the eye, thus going against every instinct telling him to not lose focus and keep observing how his commander fared.

"Are there any pubs in the village?"

The question threw him off the trail and Will found himself blinking and lowering his weapon until it rested against his thigh. "What?"

"Pubs. Are there any here?" Tyler patiently repeated and buried his hands in his pockets. Will managed to compose himself, though his carbine stayed down.

"The only pub is at the Cross Keys Inn." It was hard to leave the short-spoken language of the military while still in uniform.

"Good! I heard we'll stay there over the night and finish the work by tomorrow noon. It's a habit of mine to try one local brewed type of beer every time I come to a new town. I can't wait to see if they'll serve stout, ale, or lager here…"

"You're rambling again," Will pointed out but there was no real animosity behind his words this time.

Tyler exhaled loudly and dragged a pale hand through his impossibly bouncy hair. "Darn it. I'm hopeless today. Maybe I'll see you later then, at the pub."

"I…rarely visit it," Will admitted but that didn't quell Tyler's grin.

"Well, then it's time to go there now. It'll be crammed with coppers tonight. But we behave well. Only the older ones use to order too much."

In another time, Will could have bet his boots he would have a migraine by now from interacting with such a vibrant force of nature but oddly enough, he felt fine with Tyler.

"I'm off-duty later. Perhaps I'll consider a venture inside," he replied and for the first time since the police squad had come to Baskerville, he was smiling, concealed as he was by Tyler's happy form before him.

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><p><strong>What do you think? Review and tell me, please. And in the future I just might consider writing more chapters if there seems to be an interest for it. So long!<strong>


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